Comics, Movies, Video Games, and More

"Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

~Ephesians 5:16

Friday, September 6, 2013

Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 Review

The End Times, the book of Revelation, is probably the most popular story Christian movies like to portray. From Left Behind to A Thief in the Night, there are many films portraying the end of the world. One of the most interesting is Megiddo. The story is of course identical to many end time movies, but there are quite a few factors making this one stick out. If the book of Revelation was used to become a summer blockbuster, this would be the closest to that. There are faults, but overall it's a very enjoyable watch from beginning to end.

The Omega Code 2 is directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, who has directed many low-budget flicks. He's went on board to say he's not a 'Pentecostal Christian.' I find it interesting that they went with a non-Christian director to direct a Christian movie, many things could go wrong. But, I have no fault with the directing, Trenchard-Smith delivers a rather fun take on the story. The plot follows Alexander Stone and his rise to power. He has a vision of a new world order, and he's going to achieve it one way or the other. His brother David realizes his brother is evil, and will eventually have to make a decision concerning coming to faith.

First off, I really like how the story focuses on Alexander's/The Beast's/the Devil's rise to power. Many end time movies follow a main character, or a small group and their journey to faith while The Beast is a background force. The first 20 minutes of the story devotes its time to focusing on Alexander's early days and shows how the Devil used him as a puppet. It's great, Michael York does a phenomenal job portraying Stone. I have to give credit to the writers for some great pieces of dialogue. My personal favorite is when Stone says, "Television, wonderful invention. It does the work for me!" Stone was definitely a highlight, I would give Michael York and Emmy award.

David, Stone's brother, is technically the protagonist. He succeeds the president after Stone murders the latter. I have no problems with Michael Biehn's portrayal, it's pretty solid. I do think he converted to faith a little too fast, there just wasn't enough build-up. The whole scene in the church I felt could have been handled better. God sending a message to him was good, but having the people and priest turn to him and shouting "Save us!" was kinda strange. Another prominent character is Gabriella, Stone's wife. Her conversion was more fluid and felt more real than David's, her death was handled pretty well.

Now, the main thing I like about Megiddo is that Stone/The Beast actually transforms into his Demonic, Satanic true form. In a pretty awesome scene, he becomes the actual monster. I have never seen an End Times movie where it actually has The Devil reveal his true form, so that was exciting to see. The CGI is surprisingly good, it easily puts all SyFy Original movies to shame. (Which is kinda sad since this was made in 2001 while something like Sharknado is out of modern day.) The entire climax is pretty exciting, though the ending is slightly abrupt. It would have been nice to perhaps get a glimpse of the White Horse and Jesus riding on top of it.

Overall, Megiddo is a really fun take on Revelation. It's not very grim and chooses to be more of an enjoyable ride from start to finish. How many movies have you seen where you get to see the actual Devil in his demonic form? It is not the first end times movie I would recommend to someone however, since it lacks the powerful message of Jesus coming back. There are quite a few other films that symbolize that better. But, it's still one of my personal favorites. It shows that there can be a really good Christian action movie.